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Army Takes On Penn State For Rugby East Marbles

College Men

Army Takes On Penn State For Rugby East Marbles

West Point Rugby

10.26.2018 - Alex Goff

The Rugby East Conference comes down to this weekend, with West Point taking on Penn State.

Both teams are undefeated, with Army sitting at 5-0 and Penn State at 3-0. Army is coming off a 58-27 defeat of Notre Dame College that head coach Matt Sherman called one of his team's best performances to date.

"We haven't had a bad training all fall," said Sherman. 'I am pretty happy with the attitude and the performances. We lost some pretty key players from last year and it was a case of everyone needing to be part of a team effort, and they have."

Players have emerged each week, with this past weekend's breakout performance coming from wing Jason Green, who scored two tries. Bailey Abercrombie has taken control of the No. 8 position this fall, also.

Meanwhile, Penn State has been impressive, as well. The two teams have played three common opponents. Against Kutztown they had virtually the same results (Army won 24-17, Penn State 32-27). Against Notre Dame College Army's 31-point win was larger than Penn State's 15-point victory. But against St. Bonaventure, Penn State won by 35, while Army won by only 18.

This week? The key may well be up front, where the Penn State front row of Anthony Adamcheck, Tom Capriotti, and Noah Smith has been really strong.

"The scrum will always be important," said Sherman. "We have put a lot of effort into it this season and we know Penn State will be tough there."

Another factor? The weather. The remnants of Hurricane Willa are joining up with another storm to create a ferocious Nor'easter that could hit West Point close to game time. Whether it does or not, the weather promises to be cold and wet, and perhaps much more of a forward's dream.